Broken Wings
by SilentPhoniex
Summary: After the fall of Ba Sen Sei the gang is going through some tough times. Katara finding herself healing 247, aang in a state of despair and toph as silent as the night. Read more to find out! Zutara.


Howdy folks! I hope you all aren't too mad about my other stories. I'm not too egotistical to be afraid to say I didn't even like them. As I read them, I was like 'geez what am I? Five?! So I hope you all appreciate my new ways!

_Chapter one_

The air was still, thick with the smells of blood and burning flesh. Katara held her breath, her hands shaky and thin. War was an ugly scar of the faces of everyone around, it's iron grip chocking what little life they had left. Yet a night like this one was typical and the earth kingdom relied on the water tribe to heal their men. 'Why do they do this? Why do they run themselves effortlessly into death?' Her whispered voice squeaked and crystal tears pooled in her eyes. Almost immediately she whipped around to meet the pair of grey eyes that had been staring at her back. "Aang, what are you doing up? It's nearly twilight"

"They do it because they still have hope." He muttered, his fists tightening. Even his once childlike face bore the effects of the fall of ba sin sei. Katara smiled weakly and stood from her place next to a man who had lost his arm.

"I know, I know." She stammered wrapping her arms around him and letting her tears fall onto his clothing.

"Have you lost your hope?" Aang asked, dropping the embrace. His eyes were begging for the right answer even if it was a lie. Katara pulled away and gazed at him.

"No." She blurted coldly, wiping the tears from her tanned cheeks. They both knew she wasn't being honest but for now neither wanted to accept the fact that all that hard work had gone away. He smiled and walked away. Turning his back, the shell of a boy walked to sleep with Appa. Katara couldn't help but bite her lip. Would it have been different if she had said yes? Would he have been more scorned? Or was the pathetic lie enough? Sighing, she sat back down and tended to the dirty bandages on the sleeping man's arm.

That next morning Katara's eyes felt heavy and her eye lids fluttered to keep her awake. Most of her night was spent healing men and trying to be a comfort to anyone that needed it. Her toughest job was pretending. Pretending to have a glimmer of hope for the world, and lying to the faces of the people that needed her most was taxing. Sokka's firm hand on her shoulder told her it was time to move on to the next sector and tend to new patients. "Do you think Gran-Gran ever imagined a world like this?" She asked her brother. His head lowered and his eyes traced the cracks in the earth.

"No, I don't think so." Sokka's voice had deepened with the troubles but somehow it still held that lighthearted laughter that boomed like thunder. Katara's hand reached up for his chin and pulled his face up so his icy eyes met hers.

"We still have each other." She said definitely, her untidy brown hair dancing with the gentle breeze. He nodded and walked away to wake up Toph, who hadn't talked much since she had found out her parents had fallen into illness. 'What has come of our perfect world?' Katara asked herself walking over to where Aang had fallen last night. There among the fluff was a depression in Appa's fur but not the being that had created it. "No…."The words slipped from her chocolate lips and echoed through the whole camp.

"What is it?" Sokka asked her, worry in his face. Katara was speechless, falling to her knees again and sobbing.

"This isn't like him…." She began, then realization hit and her voiced caught in her raw throat. "They've taken him."

"What?!" Sokka snapped, scanning the surroundings. "Who has taken him?" This question loomed in the air for some time until a soft voice came from the background eased the tension.

"Fire soldiers." It whispered. Katara could feel her hand squeezed in Sokka's grip. Toph had finally broken her silence and her strained voice was melodious to the two's ears.

"What ruining our lives and taking over our world isn't enough? They have already won anyway!" Sokka barked, fury burning through him.

"Hush sokka! We haven't…..lost.." Katara sputtered trying once again to find a time when it was okay to be hopeless. Somehow the sky grew grimmer and Momo whined as he scampered around where Aang had been laying. Toph plopped down next to Katara and wrapped her in a sideways hug. This action shocked everyone as tears spilled from both blue and green eyes. "How could we have let this happen?"

"You didn't let it happen Katara, he knew what he had to do." Sokka said, walking away. Toph just kept hugging, humming a tune so that she wouldn't fall back into silence. Sokka's harsh explanation was an obvious sign of his frustration. Even the injured could feel the pain that was snaking through the hearts of the avatar's friends.

"Will we ever find you again?" Katara found herself asking the bare spot. Finally exhaustion took over and her eyes drifted closed. Images of the past running across her vision like an old album. There was Aang's toothy smile, Sokka's brave face, Toph's sarcastic smirk and the wicked fire of a boy who she thought had changed.

So what do you think? I hope you like it and sorry its kinda sort…enjoy the cliff hanger and review please!


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